On February 14, 2018, like any other day, Fred Guttenberg's two children left the house to go to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. But after a former student attacked the school with a semi-automatic weapon, 17 people did not come home that day, including Fred's daughter, Jaime. Jordana and Shannon speak to Fred about his grief, his close relationship with President-elect Joe Biden, and how he channeled his pain into action to combat gun violence in America. ...

In recent years, entrepreneur, activist, author, and Jewish mom of two Jenna Arnold criss-crossed the U.S., having conversations with countless groups of white women about their identities and their roles in our country. The result is her book, Raising Our Hands: How White Women Can Stop Avoiding Hard Conversations, Start Accepting Responsibility, and Find Our Place on the New Frontlines. Jordana and Shannon have a wide-ranging conversation with Jenna about what it means to be white and...

On a “totally chill” late-fall day, Jordana and Shannon chat with multi-hyphenate author, photojournalist, and producer Deborah Copaken, who’s a columnist at The Atlantic and a writer for Netflix’s Emily in Paris. The mom of three was also once an avid biker — she’d bike 20 miles on the regular, without breaking a sweat. But then she got Covid-19 in March, and things haven’t been the same since. Deborah — whose memoir, Lady Parts, is coming out next year — chats with our hosts about living...

Fertility struggles impact so many families in myriad ways — though often the burden and the blame fall on women. Dana Sussman's story flips the narrative, when she and her husband discover that her husband is not producing any sperm. Several uncomfortable and emotional surgeries later — plus countless doctors visits, egg retrievals, and more — the couple are now parents of two children. With remarkable candor, Dana shares her unique journey with Jordana and Shannon, and they also discuss the...

Remember the measles outbreak in 2018 to 2019? Misinformation and distrust for the government were significant factors that contributed to the dangerous spread of the highly contagious disease within many ultra-Orthodox communities in New York. In December 2019 our hosts Jordana and Shannon spoke with Blima Marcus, a nurse practitioner and professor who helped curtail the spread in her community through education and compassion. In this week’s Call Your Mother Rewind, at a time in which...

We all need some good distraction right now. So this week, Jordana and Shannon chat with Lior Zaltzman — Kveller's associate editor and our in-house TV expert — about the best Jewish and Israeli TV to watch right now. From "Shtisel" to "Tehran," they discuss the recent shows that have brought them joy, and explore how Israel has gone from "Startup Nation" to TV Nation.   Music: "Voicemail" by Khronos Beats "Best I Can" by Jasmine Jordan (ft. Habit Blcx)

Now that there's a vacancy on the Supreme Court, many people are worrying about and talking about access to abortion here in the U.S. As such, we've decided to bring back a previous episode, which originally aired June 2019, that focuses on a very timely topic: stories of women who were already mothers when they made the choice to have an abortion.    Music: "Voicemail" by Khronos Beats “Hip Hop Happiness” by Mellowsstu  "Best I Can" by Jasmine Jordan ft. Habit Blcx

Jordana and Shannon reflect with journalist Dahlia Lithwick about the life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Dahlia is a senior editor at Slate, the host of the podcast, Amicus, and one of the foremost experts on the Supreme Court of the United States. And perhaps even more impressive: She had the honor of meeting and interviewing RBG on several occasions. Dahlia shares some personal thoughts on RBG, and what her life — and this loss — means for Jewish women.   ...

During the Days of Awe — the time of introspection between between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — Jordana and Shannon speak with  educator, mom, and avid YouTuber Allie Barnes about setting intentions and goals for the coming year, staying positive, and finding connection with our community, even when we can't be together. Music "Voicemail" by Khronos Beats "Best I Can" by Jasmine Jordan (ft. Habit Blcx)

In this week's episode, Jordana and Shannon speak with Carly Pildis, a professional grassroots organizer and writer, about American attitudes towards Black Jewish identity, why BLM needs to be a Jewish issue, and her experience raising a black, Jewish child in America today. Music "Voicemail" by Khronos Beats "Best I Can" by Jasmine Jordan (ft. Habit Blcx)

Jordana and Shannon speak with comedy writer and author Bess Kalb about her quarantine life as a new mom living with her own parents, writing for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and her recent memoir, No One Will Tell You This But Me. Her book is about an extraordinary love story — but not necessarily one you'd expect: It's a chronicle of Bess' relationship with her Jewish grandmother, a housewife who was anything but ordinary and who helped shape Bess' upbringing and sense of humor.     Music:   ...

After trying for a year to arrange an interview, Jordana and Shannon finally sit down with New York Times journalist and novelist Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Yes, there is talk of New Jersey. But also, the group gets into divorce, the plight of successful doctors, being raised in a religious family, and what it’s like to profile celebrities.     Music:  "Voicemail" by Khronos Beats "Funky and Groovy" by Unique Sound "Best I Can" by Jasmine Jordan (ft. Habit Blcx)

Jennifer Weiner, the fan favorite and longtime New York Times best-selling author returns to the podcast to chat with Shannon and Jordana about her quarantine bubble with bubbe, “zhuzhing” up her Zoom room, and why some people won’t wear a friggin’ mask. “It seems like such a basic thing to ask people to do. You put your shirt on and your shoes on when you go to the 7-Eleven, so now we’re going to wear masks!” Music: "Voicemail" by Khronos Beats "Funky and Groovy" by Unique Sound "Rewind...

Well, here we all are, on the cusp of a summer which for many of us will be with no camp, no vacation trips and few playdates --  but many, many opportunities to lose our shit with our kids. Carla Naumburg is a clinical social worker and the author of three parenting books. But the parenting book that was made for a pandemic is her most recent, How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids, which might be the ideal Father’s Day gift? Naumburg talks to Jordana and Shannon about stress “in the...

A very special guest joins Jordana and Shannon for the last episode of Call Your Mother’s first season: Shannon’s husband Jonathan Goldberg, who shares the story of getting a vasectomy after the couple’s third child. The group talk about the theme of responsibility for birth control, while touching on everything from Japanese sex dolls to Fiddler on the Roof. The hosts call Simon Myerson in the United Kingdom, who shares his own vasectomy tale along with the immortal words, “attached to my...

Jordana and Shannon talk with Alysia Reiner. Alysia is known for her roles in Orange Is The New Black and The Deuce, but she’s a woman who wears many hats. She talks with Jordana and Shannon about activism, Judaism, producing, her new projects and her unique take on the world in which we live. Plus Shannon shares a tale of a wedding toast gone awry, and Gram reveals her disdain for certain extracurricular activities and glitter. 

Jordana and Shannon recorded this episode at a live Jewish National Fund event in New Jersey, speaking with Israeli community center leader Michal Uziyahu about her life as a person and parent living in Israel next to the border with Gaza. She talks about red alerts, running for shelter, fears of balloons and kites -- and how she finds joy in living where she does. Plus Gram is a member of the studio audience.

Shannon is back from maternity leave, and this week she and Jordana (and Shannon’s new baby Jude) sit down with ultra-Orthodox nurse practitioner Blima Marcus. Marcus helped stop the measles outbreak of 2019 in religious communities, and talks about how to confront and combat the spread of misinformation -- whether about vaccines or anti-Semitism -- with education and compassion. Also, Gram shares her own personal experience with measles.

In this reboot of a summer episode, Jordana and Shannon talk with Jason Rosenthal. Jason’s wife Amy, a well-known author, wrote a viral piece in The New York Times entitled “You May Want To Marry My Husband,” which was published only days before Amy died of ovarian cancer. Jason talks about grief and loss, his new life in the wake of his wife and parenting the couple’s three children.

Jordana talks to Good Morning America’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton about her experience after Dr. Ashton’s long-time husband died by suicide. The two discuss the unique grief and blame cycle in the aftermath of suicide, as well as how Dr. Ashton managed her high-profile career during and in the wake of this life-changing event. Plus, Gram doesn’t pick up the phone -- but that’s okay.

Jordana brings in Kveller editor Lisa Keys to talk to Mimi Lemay. Lemay was raised ultra-Orthodox, left that way of life and married a non-Jew. She talks about how her own life influenced the way she parents her three children, one of whom realized at age two and a half that he was not the gender that he’d been born into.

Jordana chats with filmmaker Tiffany Shlain about giving up technology one day a week and about her special assistant, Clara, who just happens to be an AI bot. Then Gram tells us how keeping a paper calendar saved her from a wildlife invasion in her kitchen.

Jordana talks to Darcy Lockman, author of All The Rage: Mothers, Fathers And The Myth of Equal Partnership. The two discuss everything from how even moms who work outside the home carry more of the mental and actual load than dads in heterosexual relationships. The two women also agree that a person does not need a vagina to load a dishwasher. In discussing the topic over the phone, Shannon reveals that her husband may not be able to handle more than he’s doing, as he is apparently challenged...

Jordana and Shannon are recuperating from the onslaught of Jewish holidays, so we’ve decided to reboot this episode with the inimitable Judy Gold. Anti-Semitism, ageism, complaints that she's mocking her late mother — nothing's too precious for comedian Judy Gold to tackle. She discusses coming out, being disinherited, the legacy of Joan Rivers and so much more. Then, Jordana's mother offers her own five cents on what sets Jewish mothers apart.